DRINKING WATER
U.S. Pipe Supplies Nearly 24 miles Of Pipe To Support Clean Water Efforts In Waukesha, WI
U.S. Pipe supplies 34 miles of 30-inch ductile iron pipe for Waukesha’s Lake Michigan water project, delivering reliable, high-pressure infrastructure for generations of residents.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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Plastic Flow Meters Reduce Weight, Space, Corrosion — Not Accuracy
There are a variety of reasons for wanting accurate flow metering — e.g., billing purposes, precise proportioning of chemical injections, and other process flow decisions. That is why highly accurate mag meters are so popular in many applications. Now, new lightweight, corrosion-resistant mag meters provide the same advantages as plastic piping for harsh environments and flows that cover all the bases…and acids.
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![ultrasonic-meters]( "Metering-as-a-Service – A Revolutionary Approach To Advance The Water Industry")
Metering-as-a-Service – A Revolutionary Approach To Advance The Water IndustryMetering-as-a-service (MaaS) provides a means for utilities to transition to, or upgrade existing, advanced metering infrastructure with no up-front cost and immediate ROI.
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![A Water Network For Economic Vitality]( "The Case for Trans-Basin Water Pipelines")
The Case for Trans-Basin Water PipelinesThose in the water industry know water is essential for life and brings economic value, but the economic role of water is often not as well understood by the general public. This paper reviews the history and development of our transportation, electrical, and energy infrastructure and then presents a plan for our nation’s water to be augmented from where we have it abundantly to where we badly need it.
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Gandia Becomes A Smart Water City And Saves 0.5hm3 Of Water/Year
In 2008, the utility providing this Spanish city’s water supply and the city council decided to phase in a gradual process of digital transformation.
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Point Versus Continuous Level Measuring Technologies
While point level measuring approaches are regarded as simple and user friendly, they lack the capabilities of more sophisticated continuous measuring instruments.
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![CaseStudies_Delaware-1.jpg]( "PVDF Hollow-Fiber Ultrafiltration Membranes Selected For Plant Upgrade")
PVDF Hollow-Fiber Ultrafiltration Membranes Selected For Plant UpgradeThe City of Delaware, Ohio's Water Treatment Plant (WTP) started operating in 1889. Under the EPA's Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2), the WTP's feed water is classified as Bin 2, which requires a 4-log removal of Cryptosporidium. As a result, the City would convert its 6.0 MGD lime softening plant to a 7.2 MGD membrane treatment facility utilizing a 4.5 MGD ultrafiltration (UF) system to comply. A total of seven proposals were received during the bidding phase of the UF system, which was narrowed down to three based on best projected capital and operating costs and membrane performance. The three selections would be piloted for further evaluation. Read the full case study to learn more.
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![Success_Story-Rock_Falls_IL-4]( "10 Years After Installation, Insta-Valve 250 Helps Isolate Repair Area")
10 Years After Installation, Insta-Valve 250 Helps Isolate Repair AreaA previously installed Insta-Valve 250 insertion valve provided control for a fire pump removal without backflow between the water distribution piping and the water treatment facility.
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![GettyImages-1751685698 algal bloom sign]( "Community-Driven Algal Monitoring: Empowering Local Stewards")
Community-Driven Algal Monitoring: Empowering Local StewardsAs algal blooms become more frequent and severe due to nutrient pollution and climate change, community-driven monitoring efforts are playing a vital role in safeguarding water quality and ecosystem health. Local stewards—citizens, educators, nonprofit groups, and tribal communities—are increasingly stepping up to fill critical data gaps, improve early detection, and advocate for more responsive environmental management.
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Bulk Hypochlorite Disinfection System Replaced With On-Site Hypochlorite Generation System Saving About $160,000 Per Year In Materials
Originally built to treat 10 million gallons per day (MGD), the Quail Creek Water Treatment Plant in Washington County, Utah, now has an operational capacity of 60 MGD and a design capacity of 80 MGD.
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![Increased_LCRR_Sampling_iStock-678558472]( "Preparing For Increased Sampling Frequency Mandated By LCR Revisions")
Preparing For Increased Sampling Frequency Mandated By LCR RevisionsThe proposed Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) announced by the U.S. EPA offer new hope for identifying and reducing sources of lead contamination in drinking water, albeit with new levels of testing required to pinpoint problem areas. Preparing for the new rules means taking active steps toward identifying both the technicalities and logistics of meeting them, as outlined in the links and bullet points below.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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Bottled Water Industry: Liquid Analytical Solutions11/10/2013
Americans consume more than 9.1 billion gallons of bottled water annually - an average of twenty nine gallons per person every year.
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A New Way Of Designing With Reverse Osmosis Membranes7/23/2015
Process design in water treatment is historically confined to proprietary or user-defined spreadsheets on a unit operation basis, with users manually adding results from each unit process upstream into the next operation.
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Application Note: Continuous Monitoring Of Drinking Water Provides Assurance Of Safety9/28/2005A water utility in Ohio wanted to learn more about the variability of water quality parameters such as pH, ORP, turbidity, and chlorine. Previously, most of these parameters had been measured by spot sampling protocols with only a few measurements during a daily period. In order to more accurately assess the water variability, the utility used a YSI 6920DW Drinking Water Multiprobe
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Improved Efficiencies In TOC Wastewater Analysis For Standard Method 5310B And EPA Method 41510/16/2014Total organic carbon (TOC) measurement is of vital importance to the operation of water treatment due to organic compounds comprising a large group of water pollutants. TOC has been around for many years, and although it is a relatively simple analysis in theory, operational efficiency is paramount.
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Lab Gas Sub-Metering Accuracy Improves With Thermal Flow Meters To Save Money12/1/2017
Facility administrators will find the advanced ST100 Series Thermal Mass Air/Gas Flow Meter from Fluid Components International (FCI) helps them improve the accuracy of specialty gas point of use and sub-metering operations to achieve accurate billing in their labs for better cost tracking and control.
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Analyzing Total Organic Carbon In Sea Water4/2/2015
The analysis of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in seawater can be both challenging and expensive. The concentration of organic carbon in seawater is of considerable interest. The effect this matrix can have on TOC analyzers can lead to rapid consumable turnover, costly maintenance and repairs.
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Background And Summary Of Tests For The 2000PV Restraint4/13/2021
The 2000PV is a restraint for PVC pipe and the standardized mechanical joint. This product is the result of years of testing and evaluation and its performance has been proven by thousands of hours of proof tests, as well as third-party evaluations. This report describes the 2000PV through the 12" size.
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Recording & Control: In Coagulant Dosage Applications For Potable Water Treatment7/1/2019
Potable water or drinking water as it is also known, is water that is safe to drink or to be used in food preparation. Typically, in developed countries, tap water meets the required drinking water standards, although only a small proportion is actually drank or used in food preparation.
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Ion Exchange Resins And Activated Carbons For Better-Tasting Water12/18/2013
For many, access to good-tasting tap water is limited, and buying bottled water can be expensive. Simple pour-through jug filters offer a low-cost and effective alternative. Activated carbons, in conjunction with ion exchange products, produce drinking water that is absent of all industrial pesticides and contaminants.
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UV Technology Offers Solution For Emerging Water Crisis2/19/2014
Many are turning to UV as an effective barrier to enable the reuse of wastewater, for indirect reuse, and aquifer recharge.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
AqueoUS Vets is a multidisciplinary firm that focuses on standard and customized water treatment systems. We offer a superior line of products for pumping, conveyance, filtration, and storage for dewatering projects.
The OPTIFLUX 1300 is an electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) with lightweight wafer-style design. The meter is an economical solution for applications with conductive liquids (≥ 5 μS/cm) and higher solid content (up to 70%). Unlike the OPTIFLUX 1100, the OPTIFLUX 1300 offers a better accuracy. The flowmeter already meets the demands of many applications in various industries. It has established itself as the preferred solution for OEM machinery applications, dosing systems, compact skids, chemical handling systems or pump and firefighting systems.
The OPTIMASS 6400 is the standard high performance Coriolis mass flowmeter for the process industry. The twin bent tube meter offers superior performance and high accuracy in virtually any application: From process control in (petro)chemical applications to concentration measurements in the food and beverage industry to custody transfer filling and transport measurements in the oil and gas industry. Its high-end options also make the OPTIMASS 6400 the optimum device for cryogenic media like Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) with temperatures down to -200°C / -328°F as well as applications involving high operating temperatures (up to 400°C / 752°F) or pressures (up to 200 barg / 2900 psig).
Further reduction of the volume of backwash water requirements can be achieved with the application of the Loprest SYNCRO-CLEANSE® process. This patented design utilizes both air and water for a more efficient backwash operation.
The combination of reliable products and expertise in customized solutions.
The MEGA-STOP® is a safe and economical “over-insertion” solution. With it, you can properly and quickly assemble pipe joints each and every time.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![tractor_sludge_Getty-2155530305]( "Why Too Much Phosphorus In America's Farmland Is Polluting The Country's Water")
When people think about agricultural pollution, they often picture what is easy to see: fertilizer spreaders crossing fields or muddy runoff after a heavy storm. However, a much more significant threat is quietly and invisibly building in the ground. -
![EnvironmentPeople_004]( "Water In 2026: The Nexus Of Policy, Technology, And Resilience")
As water systems become more circular and complex, understanding and managing the subsurface — the hidden half of the water cycle — is becoming a critical enabler of resilience. This article explores the key trends shaping this new reality, from tackling “forever chemicals” to the water strategies redefining heavy industry. -
![Cutting Red Tape-GettyImages-502421630]( "How The NEPA Rollback Will Impact Water And Wastewater Industries")
The White House has finalized plans to roll back rules under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), narrowing its focus and limiting what the current administration claims are needless delays for federal approval of water, energy, and other infrastructure plans. For water and wastewater utilities, the changes could speed up permitting for critical projects, although experts warn the tradeoffs could do more harm than good. -
![Ultraviolet lamps for water disinfection-GettyImages-1271779123]( "Setting Global Standards: Inside North America's Only Full-Scale UV Disinfection Validation Facility")
Setting Global Standards: Inside North America's Only Full-Scale UV Disinfection Validation FacilityPortland's industry-leading facility reaches 100 reactor validations in 23 years. -
![Water analysis, purification, filtration, treatment, quality monitoring, contamination detection-GettyImages-2234293664]( "Why Haven't Field Tests For Lead In Water Gone Mainstream?")
Given the maturation of sensor technology, the scientific and operational hurdles to portable lead analysis are somewhat surprising — but surmountable.
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![peace-athabasca-delta-flood-mapping-265153]( "What Is Bathymetric Modeling? And How Can It Protect Ecosystems While Saving Resources?")
Bathymetric modeling maps underwater terrain. It also helps guide planning, prevent hazards, and build climate-resilient infrastructure.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
See how SIWA MDM Event and Data Action Management (EDAM) helps utilities detect anomalies and identify service points with potential issues. With EDAM, utilities can define a set of conditions or rules that SIWA MDM meter data management uses to analyze data and events such as water leaks and missing reads.
ABOUT DRINKING WATER
In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers
Drinking Water Sources
Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater.
Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.
Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.
There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.
The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.
The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.
During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.
Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.
Drinking Water Distribution
Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.
A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.
Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.